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An Iowa Tea Party group recently caused an uproar by creating a billboard that compares President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. What is even more interesting is that other members of the Tea Party are condemning the ad as well.
The ad shows pictures of Obama, Hitler and Lenin with the label, "Democrat Socialism," "National Socialism," and "Marxist Socialism." Below the pictures are the words, "Radical leaders prey on the fearful & naive."
The group's co-founder says that the billboard is simply meant to be a message against socialism, but some of the members of the Tea Party openly disagreed with the tone and nature of the message:
"That's just a waste of money, time, resources and it's not going to further our cause," said Shelby Blakely, head of the Tea Party Patriots. "It's not going to help our cause. It's going to make people think that the Tea Party is full of a bunch of right-wing fringe people, and that's not true."
It is completely clear that the billboard comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler is wrong. Hitler murdered six million Jews, while Obama simply changed the health care system. There is no question in my mind, or in the mind of any other free-thinking American, that the comparison is both flawed and inaccurate.
President Obama likely doesn't take much offense to what's happening within the Tea Party. Mind you, he fully understands the political ramifications of Tea Party momentum, but I presume he realizes that this kind of behavior is simply part of the political game. We must also remember that Tea Party members do, in fact, have freedom of speech, and I recall President Bush also being connected to Hitler during his presidency as well. Comparing your least favorite leader to Hitler appears to be all the rage these days. There are millions of little boys comparing their moms to Hitler when they are forced to take a bath or clean their rooms.
All jokes aside, the racial dimension of the Tea Party movement is loud and clear across America, even if they themselves are not aware of it. What makes this game somewhat odd and recursive is that, yes, the Tea Party movement has racism in it, but not every Tea Partier wants to be a racist.
The problem is that racism is such a subtle social disease that we are not usually aware when it impacts our choices. The outrage that America has shown toward its first black president is no different from the anger that an angry white mob showed toward the "uppity negro" who said, "Hello," to a white woman 70 years ago.
Even in those situations, people went out of their way to distinguish the "good blacks" from the bad ones. Being "good" effectively meant that you knew your place, which the President of the United States does not (since black men are not supposed to become president and tell people what to do).
The other half of the political game is one that uses the racist accusation to paint the entire Tea Party as a pack of racists, when in fact, many of them have a genuine right to dislike President Obama. So, while the Tea Party movement understates the racial dimensions of its activities, there are those who are in the business of painting them with a broad brush to weaken their appeal.
I personally do not think that the Tea Party movement is entirely built on racism. I also argue that they have a right to compare Obama to Hitler, Satan or whomever they please. To undermine the Tea Party's right to express itself would be to undermine America and what it stands for. I assume any other patriot might agree.
So, at the end of the day, the Tea Party folks will keep finding outrageous ways to express their discontent. On the other side, the Democrats will call the Tea Party members racist. It's all just the American way, and politics at its finest.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (180)
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By: ilovelatinos on 7/14/2010 4:19AM
Bless their little hearts. I wished that the NAACP would "sweep around their own back doors" now and forever. First of all, it's a racist organization. Blacks killing blacks over what? A stolen pair of tennis shoes? A name-brand jacket? They have these problems to deal with instead of complaining about "racism" all of the time. It's getting old and thank God that the American people are starting to wake up and take it just as the boy who cried wolf.
Please ...
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By: Just Wondering on 7/15/2010 7:35PM
Isn't that something blacks killing blacks over tennis shoes that amazing. MMMMMM WHITE killing large groups of people, higher rate in Child Molestaton, Spies against their own counry for financial gain, Want to rule the world but don't have the skills to do so, White women sleeping with High paying MARRIED CELEBRITIES and telling the world how nasty they are just to be recognized. MMMM what else. They can't handle the fact the President is an African American GET THE FREAK OVER IT. TEA PARTY IS A DIRTY PARTY. Thank you and have a great day (laughing)
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By: Jeannette on 7/15/2010 9:42PM
Ilovelatinos, you really need to stop. What are your illeagal friends in Arizona doing? Crying racism? Sorry your racism is showing. You have sympathy for a group of people that came here illeagally(criminals) demanding rights, but that's okay with you, because they are not considered black. And all blacks do not kill people for shoes, just as all latinos are not illeagals and gang members. Just say it, I love latinos, and I am a racist.
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By: Mimi on 7/16/2010 12:37AM
THE TEA PARTY KLAN ARE EVIL AND HATEFUL PEOPLE. THEIR MESSAGE OF HATE IS BEING HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR.
THE TEA PARTY KLAN ARE ADVOCATES OF THE FOLLOWING:
LARGE BANKS
INSURANCE COMPANIES
BIG OIL (LIKE BP)
AS WELL AS OTHER LARGE BUSINESSES
DEMOCRACTS ARE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
REPUBLICANS AND THE TEA PARTY KLAN WHICH ARE ONE IN THE SAME DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT AMERICANS ONLY FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC LARGE BUSINESSES.
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By: ponyjjones on 7/20/2010 7:05PM
Your racist attitude fits right into the right wing of the Tea party.....which was formed QUICKLY..and without much thought....in response to Democrats being shouted down at Town Hall meeting and saying..."shut up and let ME speak"...which the radical right USED as propaganda (talk about Hitler)to organize a group saying their first amendment rights were trampled.
It was nonsense then.....and still is.
God Bless the REAL people in this movement who are not racist....just fooled by the radical right wing (who would love to dispose of our black president).
Italiano....It was not long ago italians were all considered MAFIA (in some place they still are).
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By: Honey B on 7/14/2010 1:36AM
Whats new, I think the tea party people are nuts any way.
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By: black conservative on 7/14/2010 5:36AM
that billboard does not represent the tea party movement!
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By: Mimi on 7/16/2010 1:40AM
THE TEA PARTY KLAN ARE JUST THAT REPUBLICAN KLAN MEMBERS. AS SARAH PALIN WOULD SAY "YOU BETCHA"
SO WHAT IF A FEW OF THE TEA PARTY KLAN MEMBERS COME OUT AND SAY THAT THEY DON'T AGREE WITH THE BILL BOARD.
THAT IS THE NEW TREND BY THE REPUBLICANS TO SAY SOME WRONG, STUPID, HATEFUL LYING STUFF AND THEN COME BACK AND APOLOGIZE.
REPUBLICAN SENATOR JOE BARTON APOLOGIZED TO BP CEO TONY HAYWOOD BY SAYING THAT HE WAS "ASHAMED" THAT THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WANTED BP TO CREATE A $20 BILLION ESCROW FUND TO HELP AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO WERE VICTIMS OF THE BP OIL SPILL. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW THE REPUBLICANS HATE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BUT LOVE BIG OIL COMPANIES.
PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS SUCCESSFUL IN HIS DEMAND IN GETTING BP TO SET ASIDE $20 BILLION IN AN ESCROW FUND TO HELP AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO WERE AND ARE VICTIMS OF THE BP OIL SPILL. THE REPUBLICANS DECIDED TO GO ON ATTACK AGAINST PRESIDENT OBAMA FOR SUCCESSFULY GETTING BP TO SET ASIDE THE FUNDS TO HELP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BY OFFERING AN APOLOGY TO BP CEO TONY HAYWOOD.
REPUBLICAN JOE BARTON'S APOLOGY TO BP WAS A SENTIMENT THAT ALL REPUBLICANS WANTED TO EXPRESS. BECAUSE AS WE ALL KNOW THE REPUBLICANS LOVE BIG BUSINESSES SUCH AS BP AND THEY HATE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THE REPUBLICANS GAVE JOE BARTON THE "OK" TO EXPRESS HIS APOLOGY TO BP.
REPUBLICANS DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE SMALL AMERICAN BUSINESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THE OIL SPILL. THEY COULD CARE LESS, JUST AS REPUBLICAN JOE BARTON EXPRESSED.
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE JUST LIKE THE CURRENT REPUBLICANS DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THE SAME REPUBLICANS WHO WERE AFFILIATED WITH THE BUSH ADMINSTRATION ARE STILL IN OFFICE TODAY. THOSE SAME PEOPLE STILL DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AS JOE BARTON EXPRESSED SO ELOQUENTLY IN HIS APOLOGY TO BP.
OF COURSE JOE BARTON LATER RETRACTED HIS STATEMENT IN WHICH HE APOLOGIZED TO THE BP CEO AT THE SO CALLED URGING OF HIS FELLOW REPUBLICANS (YEAH RIGHT).
THE NEW GAME BY THE REPUBLICANS IS TO THROW IT OUT THERE; LIKE THE APOLOGY BY JOE BARTON TO THE BP CEO BASICALLY SAYING IT'S OK THAT YOUR COMPANY CAUSED THE LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER IN HISTORY AND BY THE WAY THE HELL WITH THE SMALL AMERICAN BUSINESSES AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO ARE AFFECTED BY IT. JOE BARTON WAS BASICALLY TELLING BP SO WHAT YOU MADE A MISTAKE YOU SHOULD NOT BE HELD REPONSIBLE FOR IT. LET THE TAXPAYER'S PAY FOR THE OIL SPILL CLEAN UP.
ONCE THE REPUBLICANS THROW IT OUT THERE...THEN THEY TRY TO BRING IT BACK BY RETRACTING THEIR STATEMENTS.
THE WHOLE JOE BARTON APOLOGY TO BP CEO TONY HAYWOOD WAS ORCHESTRATED BY THE REPUBLICANS BY PICKING ONE REPUBLICAN SENTATOR TO THROW IT OUT THERE AND THEN LATER HAVE HIM BRING IT BACK BY RETRACTING HIS STATEMENT. WHICH IS NO DIFFERENT THEN THE BILLBOARD IN WHICH THEY THROW IT OUT THERE AND THEN LATER TRY TO RETRACT IT.
THE REPUBLICANS/TEA PARTY KLAN ARE SO DAMN TRANSPARENT WITH THEIR DISLIKE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THEIR LOVE FOR BIG BUSINESSES.
MORE AMERICANS LOST JOBS AND BUSINESSES DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION THAN ANY OTHER ADMINSTRATION IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA AND THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT IT AND THE REPUBLICANS WHO WERE IN OFFICE THEN ARE CURRENTLY IN OFFICE NOW AND THEY STILL DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT AMERICAN PEOPLE WHICH THEY HAVE SO ELOQUENTLY EXPRESSED IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
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By: Judy on 7/14/2010 7:27AM
It is good that these groups are showing the American people the truth. This Obama was not prepared to hold a public position at all. Considering his background of radical left wing extremisism and his associations with criminals. Perhaps he thought this job was all about giving grand speechs, free rides on airplanes, playing golf and racist fist bumps. He is asleep at the wheel.
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By: katherlena washi on 7/14/2010 12:25PM
first of all, you people need to stop it. this man has not being in office a year. i wanna know where all this whining was at when bush was president. you ought to to be still trying to put him and cheney in jail. they the ones who messed up everything, remember the financial market, the housing market then he gave his friends 350 million- remember, right before he left office. he and his adminstration ran a personal conspiracy on the american public by raising gas prices to five dollars a gallon sucking our (the destitute)last little change before he retired to his 6 million dollar home. be for real, yall just mad because that man president but, i am tired of yall messing with him. it's your own fault, you had your chance- now you don't want us to recognize ours that's why you keep up so much drama.
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